The three big upgrades Android fans can expect on phones in 2024 – including tool to help devices ‘talk to each other’
ANDROID fans can expect some big boosts next year as the hidden tech under the hood receives a massive upgrade.
Anyone looking to buy a new phone should start to notice some of these changes due to a more powerful chip onboard.
That chip is known as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 which is used by most Android device makers.
We already know that recent handsets like the Xiaomi 14 series, OnePlus 12 and Honor Magic 6 will use the new tech - and it is hotly tipped to appear on the Samsung Galaxy S24 series too.
We spoke to Don McGuire, Senior Vice President & Chief Marketing Officer at Qualcomm - the company that makes Snapdragon chips - to find out what it'll mean for new phones in 2024.
Generative AI
AI is all the rage at the moment but generative AI is the one to watch.
Read more about Android
Generative AI is the sort that's able to create text, images, or other media for you.
And for phones to start realising AI like this it needs a powerful chip.
One of the major announcements to come with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 earlier this year was its ability to do intensive AI tasks directly on your phone, rather than sending anything off to the cloud.
So some of the things we could see next year is the ability to talk to Meta's Llama 2 with text, image or voice and it can talk back to you.
Most read in Phones & Gadgets
Generative AI tools could also expand photos beyond what the lens can actually see.
"AI is about eliminating tasks that take up time," Don told The Sun.
"Time that you could be doing other things.
"So why should people care in the context of your work life? Because it can make you more productive, it can help you save time.
He continued: "From a personal perspective, it’s about having this assistant that’s running in the background that - if you want to allow it to - makes things easier for you to do.
"It’s really about enhancing the experience and you’re still in control."
Make gadgets seamlessly connect
One problem people encounter time and again is how much of a chore it is making their various gadgets work together.
Often, devices only co-operate smoothly with another if it's made by the same company.
But Qualcomm says it's come up with a way to alleviate this issue.
It's known as Snapdragon Seamless and it's a cross-platform technology that enables the seamless linking of multiple devices.
And the likes of Microsoft, Android, Xiaomi, ASUS, Honor, Lenovo, and OPPO are among the firms working with Qualcomm on it.
For your future phone, this should make tasks such as dragging and dropping files from one device to another possible.
And for audio, earbuds can switch intelligently based on the priority of an audio source.
Don described it as a project that is "actually useful" to users.
"Whether it’s just phone to earbud or phone to watch. I think people want that," he said.
Gaming
Mobile gaming is an increasingly big deal, especially for those who want impressive graphics and performance.
The only way you're going to achieve that is with a powerful chipset.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
For those interested in the finer technical details, the Qualcomm Adreno GPU is claimed to offer 240 fps on supported devices, as well as being 25 per cent faster.
However, to actually feel the full benefits developers will need to release games supporting it.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at [email protected]